This chapter still takes place after the shootings, at night time/early morning.
Grodus was on the boat to Rogueport, the same one Mario took a long time ago. He was at the back, staring into the dark ocean, thinking how truly afraid he was for the end of the world. He remembered being so confident and even proud of himself for getting the Shadow Queen out of her slumber and casting darkness into the world, being on the brink of destroying it. But, of course, that witch blindsided him and everything turned upside down for him. Now that he's in a different position, however, a position where he secretly didn't want the world to end, he's now recognizing the ever growing fear inside of him. He never thought that Tatanga would come this far in his plan for world domination. He has surpassed every single one of his expectations. The only thing he could really do now is counter-attack. Mind-controlling Barry to tamper with the machine was the first part of his plan.
But right now, he just wanted to relax his mind about the plan. He was tired and just wanted to embrace the cool, ocean breeze without a worry. He sat down against the wall and closed his eyes. His mind immediately went back to the time he first met Tatanga.
FLASHBACK
Lord Crump and Grodus are having an intense conversation at the Poshley Heights Hotel in one of the rooms.
"…But, Lord Crump, it's been over a month now, why haven't you restored me back to my body yet? I've supported you in all your ideas to do this new evil plan of yours, and even provided some myself, yet here I am, still just a head…" Grodus pleaded.
"You'll get your body back, Sir Grodus! I just need to be sure that I can 100% trust you because it's my turn to take the lead in this mission now. How will I know that you won't try to sabotage me if I return you to your former self? I'm not saying you will, but anything is possible, and you can't blame for being careful, right?" Lord Crump pointed out. Bleck felt insulted by this.
"WHAT!? How the hell can you just stand there and say that to me!? Why on earth would I try to sabotage your plans for my own good!? What do I have to gain from it!? All of this is YOUR doing, Lord Crump. YOU came up with the majority of the things needed to get this plan going. I want to see you succeed and nothing else. Do you really think that I have hidden intentions? I'm just a fucking useless head! And even if I do get my body back, there's nothing I can really do, because you have my scepter, and without that, I'm practically powerless!" he yelled.
"Grodus…let me put this lightly…during the Crystal Stars mission, you treated me like absolute shit. I took it all because you were the one in charge of everything so I dealt with it however I could. But now, the tables have turned so it's your turn to see what it feels like being second in command," Lord Crump stated.
"You've gotta be kidding me. You're still hanging on to stuff that was said and done so long ago!? Don't you think I've received enough karma already, Crump!? Come on…you need to let this go. I don't think you realize how unfair you're being right now," Grodus said in disappointment.
"Oh, I'm being plenty fair. Until my plan starts to kick into motion, you're staying just like that, Grodus. You're under my command. Besides, watching you, as a head, just jump around all over the place is a little funny! Buh! Buh! Buh huh huh!" Lord Crump mocked Grodus' physical state. Grodus got heated at this.
"I don't believe you…you just used me for my scepter…didn't you…?" he said in frustration.
"Not quite. Grodus, I still need you on my side. Like you said, you have brilliant plans, and your scepter is so much more powerful than I originally thought. Don't worry, you'll be back to your regular form soon," Lord Crump said in an almost demeaning way that made Grodus not believe him for a single second.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
"Room service!" yelled the maid from outside the door.
"OCCUPIED!" Crump responded.
The door handle being turned was then heard.
"HEY! I JUST SAID OCCUPIED!" he yelled in a panic and headed to the door. The door slammed open and the Toad maid knocked out Lord Crump with a couple of punches to his face.
"WOAH! LORD CRUMP! HELP! SOMEONE!" Grodus screeched in horror.
The toad maid walked to the bed and laughed at Grodus. A flash of light was seen briefly from her, and suddenly, Doopliss appeared in her spot.
"WHAT!? D-DOOPLISS!? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!? WHY DID YOU KNOCK OUT CRUMP!?" Grodus yelled in utter confusion.
"I came here with a new friend to recruit you, slick! Lord Crump's been causing you trouble, hasn't he?" he asked.
Grodus wasn't sure what to even say. He was so confused and a little scared that he just let out an "uhhhh…."
"Speechless at that fierce entrance, I see? It happens!" said another guy who walked into the room. He was an alien-looking guy with purple skin who wore a black hoodie.
"Who…who are you?" Grodus asked, even more perplexed.
"My name is Tatanga. We've been looking for you, Grodus. Doopliss, shut the door and guard it from outside. I don't want anyone else trying to come in here," Tatanga ordered.
"You got it, slick!" Doopliss happily responded and went out.
"Tatanga…who are you exactly? What do you want from me? Why is Doopliss with you? Why did you hurt Lord Crump!?" Grodus questioned.
"I'll cut to the chase here, Grodus. I am in need of taking over this pathetic world, just like you were many years ago. I heard all about your plans and what you did for trying to take over the world, and I have to say, I'm impressed! The fact that you managed to summon an ancient demon that was on the brink of destroying this world was astounding, truly! And all that technology you had on the moon with that base and those weapons…very inspiring. I need you on my team, Grodus. You're definitely a liable asset. I want to take over the world and do it right this time, like no one ever has. I want this world to cater to my whim, to have total control of everything I can. Doopliss told me that he heard that you, Lord Crump, and the rest of your gang were hiding out here in Poshley Heights. Doopliss told me the whole story of your world domination plan, and I just knew that I had to meet you. So, what he did was, turned himself into one of those X-nauts, and began snooping for any useful info. He managed to snag your exact location, but he got so much more. This X-naut gossiped about how horrible Lord Crump was treating you and that he refused to give you your body back for whatever reason. He was treating you like you were beneath him! And you know what? That seriously pissed me off! How DARE that monster do that to you, Grodus!? Who does he think he is, treating his supposed 'friend' like some irrelevant pest!? Well, lucky for you, Grodus, if you join me, I'll give you your body back and be treated as my equal. We'll conquer the world together and accomplish that goal that you weren't able to so long ago. Doopliss is on board with my plan. I wanted him because his duplicate ability is mind-blowing and incredibly useful. Another guy named Dimentio is with us, who has these insane magical powers that just blew my mind! And with you…you have your…wand thing, right? You know how to use it properly. If you join us, we will be an unstoppable group of villains who will definitely have the biggest chance in the world to do world domination and do it right for once, and show those other wannabes how it's really done. What do you say? We don't have much time, Grodus. I need an answer now," Tatanga explained.
Grodus was blown away by everything he said. So much crazy information to digest in such little time. Was this guy actually legit? Grodus thought Tatanga must've been mentally off the edge for wanting to conquer the world. But why? And how exactly would he do it? He was nowhere near close to being confident that this guy could pull it off. Every single villain that tried to take over the world was unsuccessful. What would make this guy any different? Plus, Grodus wasn't even 100% sure if he wanted to try to take over the world again. The only reason he suggested ideas to Crump is because he was hopeful it would be enough for Crump to give him his body back.
However, he thought about what he said, about bringing his body back. That is truly the one thing Grodus wanted in his life now. There was also Doopliss. He proved to be somewhat helpful during his plan and the fact that Doopliss seems to trust him adds a little more credibility.
"Wow…umm…hmm…if I join you…will you promise to give me my body back?" asked Grodus.
"Absolutely. Hell, I'll do it right now to prove to you that I am 100% sincere!" Tatanga declared. Grodus was a little impressed.
"OK. In the closet there is my scepter. Grab it, then I'll tell you what to do next," he ordered. Tatanga rummaged through the closet and snatched the weapon that made Grodus almost invincible in the past. "Good. Now…repeat this spell after me, three times, and once it's finished, aim the scepter directly at me. Oh, di, quaeso ut me totum. Da quod necesse est in perfecta forma corporis. Redde mihi meam integritate!"
Tatanga repeated after him three times, each chant louder than the next, and he pointed the scepter at him. A blue light formed from the tip of the scepter that grew larger by the second. After about a minute of it growing, it shot out to Grodus at the speed of light. Tatanga was blown away by the sight. A bright flash blinded him for a few seconds. Tatanga opened his eyes back up and his eyes had to readjust to the lighting in the room. When they did, he dropped his jaw.
There he was. Grodus, in his full, original form. Grodus himself felt his whole body, everything below his neck. He gave a wide and excited grin. It felt so unreal and bizarre having the rest of him back because he had just gotten used to being a head. But it was done. His one dream for months now had finally came true.
"Yes…YES! YOU DID IT! Tatanga…I cannot thank you enough for doing this. Seriously…you have no idea how much I've been wanting my body back…thank you, thank you, thank you!" Grodus cheered, feeling the happiest he's ever been since he could remember.
"It's my pleasure, Grodus. And it only took, what, a minute to do? Yeah, that asshole right there is one lazy shmuck. So, does this mean you're with me?" he asked with a smile.
Even though Grodus was still not 100% sure that Tatanga would succeed in taking the world, what he did gained his trust and likeness. In fact, he's the only person that ever did anything nice for him in such a long time that he wanted to be around him more no matter what.
"Yes. I'm with you all the way, Tatanga. Let's take over the world," Grodus stated. Tatanga reached out his hand and Grodus shook it. The deal was done.
"Perfect. I knew I could count on you, Grodus. Now then…you take your scepter and you follow me quickly," Tatanga handed him his prized possession and led the way out. He stopped when he looked at Crump, still knocked out on the ground. "Hmm. What should we do with him? Kill him?"
As much as he felt like he should, Grodus didn't want to directly kill him for some reason. He wasn't sure why. Even though he despised Crump for everything he's done to him, he didn't want to kill him and go down that route. Something felt different this time.
"No. Just leave him. He'll be on his own again without my help, and that's enough for me," Grodus stated and exited the room with Tatanga.
END FLASHBACK
Grodus cringed while thinking about that time. He thought it was extremely ironic how Tatanga criticized Crump for treating him like he was beneath him, yet Tatanga ended up doing the exact same thing to him. He really thought Tatanga would be his true savior and that he would have at least one friend that really cared about him, but that dream was slowly shattered once he realized that Tatanga took him for granted.
Grodus saw Rogueport approach. The harbor certainly hasn't changed a bit, so he expected the rest of the town to be the same too. He didn't miss the place at all, but he'd rather be living in this dump if it meant being far away from Tatanga.
Grodus went back inside to pay the boatman. The boat came to a stop and Grodus thanked him for the ride.
"Hey pal! You doing okay there?" asked the Toad boatman as soon as Grodus put his hand on the door handle to leave.
"Um…yes…I'm fine. I just really wanna see my friend and just…escape…you know?" he awkwardly responded.
The Toad nodded. "I know what ya mean. Just remember, pal, things will always work out in your favor. I know, that sounds ridiculous, but you are in control of a lot more than you realize. I promise that everything will be just fine!"
Grodus nodded and gave him a little smile. He exited and waved the boatman goodbye. Grodus appreciated his positivity, but thought that it was a little random and weird. Grodus shrugged it off and began walking to his destination. He felt a little uncomfortable because a town like Rogueport can get very sketchy in the dark, although it was approaching morning, but he still wanted to avoid all eye contact with anyone and prayed that nothing out of the ordinary would happen.
He went into Central Rogueport. Yep. Same old Rogueport last time he saw it. Total silence all around him except for the crashing of the waves from the harbor. He power walked into East Rogueport. Nothing changed here either. He saw the pipe that led to Underground Rogueport. He ran over to the pipe and hopped on in.
Minutes later, he got out and officially entered the underground city. As much as he wanted to explore and sight see since he had only seen it once before, he didn't want to waste any time. He went left and entered the main part of the city. He saw a few of the citizens keeping to themselves there so he felt confident that he would make it without any trouble. He reached the opposite end of the "room" and entered the door.
Yes! There it was. The teleporter that led back to the X-Naut base on the moon. But did it still work? Grodus pressed the red button and the teleporter lit up. Perfect! This is going to work. He stepped in and everything around him turned white for a minute. He felt himself gasping for air for a split second. The feeling of being teleported somewhere was unexplainable, something out of this world.
The whiteness faded and there he was, back in the lab that he created himself years ago. He was surprised that the electricity still worked since he assumed that no one had been here for years. Everything was still in tip-top shape like how he remembered it. He went into the hallway and memories immediately fled back in his mind of ordering the X-Nauts, Lord Crump, and the Shadow Sirens to do some of his dirty work in order to stop Mario and get info on the Crystal Stars. He remembered feeling unstoppable and indestructible at that point in time because he was so sure he would succeed. Looking back on it now, he realized was completely in over his head.
He reached the elevator and pressed the button. It came up and he went inside. He pushed the down button to the lowest sublevel. He waited a minute for the elevator to reach the sublevel and open. Grodus started getting more nervous. He wasn't sure what to expect now that he's come this far for this one person.
He entered TEC's room and all the lights and the computer screen immediately turned on. Grodus took a big gulp.
"Sir Grodus," said that all too familiar voice.
"Yes, it's me. Hello TEC. It's a pleasure to see you again," Grodus said sincerely.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it? May I ask what you came back for?" TEC asked, not seeming too happy to see Grodus, which slightly disappointed him.
"I came here for a couple of things, TEC. Firstly…I want to apologize for everything that I put you through so long ago. I was power hungry. I was overconfident in my entire plan. I didn't realize how much I had hurt you until I was in the exact same position you were in when I was treated like dirt by Crump and this other guy named Tatanga. Both of them were trying to do the same thing I did; take over the world. Crump refused to give me back my body for whatever reason. Eventually, Tatanga found me, explained to me his world domination plan, offered me to join, and restored my body back. I joined him because I thought this guy was the real deal for me, even though I wasn't 100% on board with world domination, but I went with him anyways because I liked him at the time. Unfortunately, he quickly treated me like I was just a useless head again…" Grodus explained.
TEC was silent for a moment.
"…I accept your apology, Grodus. I can't hold onto an eternal grudge. Especially after hearing what you went through. I'm very sorry that happened to you."
Grodus let out a fresh breath of relief. It felt like some weight was lifted off his shoulder.
"Thank you, TEC. You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that. But now…the second thing I came here for…I want to find a way to destroy Tatanga before he takes over the planet. He has all these Koopatrols working for him along with Doopliss, Beldam, Marilyn, and some jester named Dimentio, plus a weapon that's about halfway finished. He has my scepter and can do anything he wants with it. He needs to be stopped at once!"
"I apologize that this Tatanga is doing a horrible deed to the planet, but I'm afraid there's nothing much I can do about it…is…is that what you came here for, Grodus? To ask for help for defeating this Tatanga?" asked TEC.
Grodus paused for a minute, then let out a depressing sigh. "Honestly, yes…but you're right. There's nothing you can do…nor I. All of my equipment is gone. But at the same time, I also came here because I wanted to give you my apology and re-connect. I miss you, TEC, and I mean that. I regret all the horrible things I've said and done to you so long ago…perhaps this is what I get for back then…"
"Grodus, there's no need for any more regrets. What's done is done. I can clearly see you've changed so you don't need to explain yourself any longer. I miss you too, Grodus. All these years went by like a flash, all by my lonesome…I may as well have been dead. But, no matter, you're here, and that's all that I am satisfied with. I truly wish I could come up with a perfect weapon or plan to destroy this Tatanga but I'm afraid I'm at a loss of ideas that would be perfectly capable for you to develop, and even if you could, you would need your X-Nauts back here again to help."
Grodus smiled a little. "Thank you. I understand that. But, to ease ourselves a little, there IS a group of people that are trying to stop Tatanga. Mario is leading that group."
"M…Mario? That's right, I remember him. The legendary hero that saved the world from darkness years ago. It surprises me not to see him take control of this situation. Very good. Is Princess Peach with him? Is she doing okay too?"
"Yes, she's with him, and as far as I know, she's okay. You miss her too, don't you? I know you loved her, TEC. If I ever manage to see her again, I'll try to get her to come up here and visit you. I know she would be delighted to see you again."
"Th…thank you, Grodus. I would very much appreciate that…Peach…hmm…yes…" TEC ended his sentence on a long and awkward pause. Grodus could tell that he was reminiscing the days where Peach would come in and they would have the most interesting chats. But then, something came to him.
"Wait! TEC, I just thought of something…so, it's been such a long time that me and the others built this place that I've forgotten all the quirks and such that goes with it. So, this is going to sound like a very bizarre question, but is it possible for this fortress to 'detach' itself from the moon's surface? Am I able to do that?" he asked.
TEC was silent for a minute. "D…detach? Um…why would you want to detach this place from the moon's surface?"
"I just thought of a really crazy plan. What if I'm able to detach this entire fortress into orbit and somehow able to control it so that it crashes into the island that Tatanga is on? It would destroy the island completely and save the world!" exclaimed Grodus. TEC took another minute to even say anything.
"…Okay…but…hmm…IF you were to do that…that would mean that I would cease to exist…and such a plan seems almost improbable and perhaps unrealistic…"
Grodus slowly made a frown and looked away. "…You're right, I didn't even think about that. I'm sorry. It was a spur of the moment thing. I guess I'm just desperate to find any way to stop him…"
Another long and awkward pause.
"...However, it's doable, Grodus. I have the calculations that can perform this move off, but chances of it being successful are low. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Grodus looked back at him in slight hope. "R-Really? Um…I do wanna do this, but…it's risking YOUR life, TEC, and mine too…but I guess I can still escape through the teleporter before the crash…"
"Do not worry about that, Grodus. If it's for the greater good, I will assist in however I can."
Grodus made a little smile and got out an object that he was keeping hidden beneath his robe. "This ought to provide a little more help as well. My little black book of magic!"
A Koopatrol rushed in to Tatanga's room in a panic.
"HEY! Knock before you enter, fool!" Tatanga yelled, jumping up from his bed.
"S-S-Sorry, Tatanga! But, we have an emergency! Barry has gone completely insane! He's destroying some parts of the machine! A bunch of guys ran in to try and stop him, but he actually ended up killing a few of them! WHAT DO WE DO!?" he yelled.
"WH-WHAT!? This has got to be a fucking joke! SHOW ME THIS INSTANT!" Tatanga angrily demanded, swiped his scepter, and followed the Koopatrol. They reached the central area and saw a bunch of the Koopatrols fighting and screaming in a large group. Tatanga saw Barry swing his sledgehammer all around like a maniac, hitting everyone within close distance, no one making a scratch on him. Tatanga then saw that parts of the big machine were destroyed. He became furious and ran down the stairs.
"ENOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!" he screamed so loud that everyone stopped in their place. He aimed the scepter at Barry and a bolt of lightning shot out of it and hit him. A few of the Koopatrols gasped. Tatanga ran over to Barry and stood over him. Barry just stared blankly into space.
"Barry…what the FUCK do you think you're doing!? You little backstabbing piece of shit! YOU'VE SET THIS WHOLE FUCKING PLAN BACK!" he yelled in rage.
"I have to…destroy the machine…it must not be…completed…I have to…" Barry responded bizarrely.
"Dude, what the hell is wrong with him? He's not on drugs, is he?" asked a Koopatrol.
"No…drugs don't do this…it's something else…hmm…I'm taking him back to my room. No one follow me. AND FIX WHATEVER THIS BASTARD BROKE!" he demanded. He dragged Barry with him to his room and locked the door.
"Alright Barry, tell me right now, what the fuck is going on with you!? TELL ME WHY YOU DID THAT OR ELSE I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL BLOW YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!" Tatanga screamed, pointing the scepter right in his face.
"I have to…destroy the machine…it must not be…completed…I have to…" he responded in the same way as before.
Tatanga lowered the scepter and looked at him confusedly. He leaned in and looked into his eyes very closely.
"What the hell…? This doesn't make any s-…wait a second…Barry…did…Grodus do this to you somehow?" Tatanga asked in huge suspicion.
"Grodus…yes…I HAVE TO DESTROY THE MACHINE!" he suddenly yelled. Tatanga wailed and blasted him into dust with the scepter.
"I don't fucking believe this. How the hell did Grodus…GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGH! That dirty little scumbag! I swear, the next time I see him, I will NOT hesitate to kill him. He has tested my patience for the last fucking time!" he yelled. He aggressively grabbed the Genso pill bottle and took another pill. "I will not rest until my weapon is complete. This is just a minor setback. I need to relax myself…let me lay down for a few minutes…"
He got onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. His expression turned into sorrow as he immediately continued the flashback of Rena's death in his head.
FLASHBACK
A group of people surrounded the crime scene, gossiping, crying, and wailing at what happened. Yuki broke down in tears. Police and ambulance were there, taking care of the scene.
Meanwhile, Tatanga just stood there, staring at the spot where his best friend just died, for minutes on end. He couldn't believe that such a precious life was stolen so easily and quickly. The one person he loved and cared for…gone. This made him beyond angry inside. He had enough. He stomped into the school, ready to explode at any given second. He grabbed a garbage can and threw it a glass cabinet filled with sports trophies. Some nearby students shrieked at this act.
"HEY! What the fuck is your problem, man!?" yelled a Koopa who grabbed him by the shoulder.
"GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" Tatanga roared and punched the Koopa in the face and pushed him to the ground. He repeatedly kept punching him as others screamed at the brutal sight. One of the teachers came and pulled him away from the Koopa, his face all bloody. Tatanga was kicking and screaming like an out of control little kid.
"STOP! Enough, you must calm down!" yelled the teacher.
Tatanga managed to get out of his grasp and ran down the halls as fast as possible. He ran outside, to the front of the school, past the crime scene, and back to where he parked the spaceship. He didn't stop for a single second. When he reached his ship, he collapsed to the ground, and let out a huge cry. At that moment, he felt that all was lost for him. The world meant nothing to him anymore. He wanted the pain to end so damn badly.
He eventually stood up and wiped his tears away. He clenched his fists and got angry again.
"I have nothing left to lose now, I guess…" he said to himself. He got into his ship and flew it towards the school.
END FLASHBACK
Tatanga flinched and rolled over to his side. "Okay, that's enough reminiscing for one fucking day. Seriously, I don't know why I keep thinking about this shit from the past…it's done. It's over. The Rena I knew is never coming back. I have got to get over it."
EOC.
Next chapter will be back to focusing on the heroes again as they prepare for their journey into the next world.
